January 9, 2025
As we step into 2025, navigating an era of polarization and uncertainty, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “us versus them” thinking. This divisive mindset often clouds the immense power of collective action—communities and individuals working tirelessly together to bring about meaningful change that everyone can agree on.
At River Partners, we see a different story unfolding. It’s a story of unity, resilience, and relentless commitment to restoring river landscapes and biodiversity across California and improving the lives of people who live here.
The challenges we face are enormous: the effects of climate change on vulnerable communities of wildlife and people, intensifying flooding, increased water scarcity and strained natural resources, regulatory conflict, and disappearing natural landscapes to name a few. If we can agree on our challenges, then we can agree we have a lot of work to do.
Often I hear from people who say, “We want our communities to be beautiful, vibrant places, and we care about the health of our planet for future generations.” And yet, we’ve lost so much of what made California abundant in a relatively short amount of time.
- Over 95% of our original riverside forests, wetlands, and floodplains are gone, leaving communities vulnerable to flooding and leaving wildlife without homes.
- Groundwater basins have been over-pumped for decades and are critically depleted.
- Many children in the Central Valley grow up without meaningful access to nature, missing the chance to connect with the land and natural life around them.
- Many Native Californians have lost access and connection to the land where their culture, stories, and traditions have endured for millennia.
- Water quality has declined, and hundreds of thousands of Californians now rely on unsafe drinking water systems.
The solution isn’t to keep fighting; we must get to work on the outcomes most people already agree on.
- Restoring and protecting natural ecosystems to bring back wildlife and mitigate flood and drought risks.
- Building climate resilience through nature-based infrastructure like wetlands and floodplains.
- Investing in water replenishment through retiring marginal farmland, reducing irrigation demand, and recharging groundwater basins to secure a reliable water supply.
- Creating parks and green spaces to improve public health, equity, and access to nature.
- Collaborating with local leaders and communities to design projects from the ground up that best serve people.
- Building a green workforce to create jobs and bolster local economies.
Since 1998, River Partners has completed more than 300 restoration projects in every major California watershed across nearly 20,000 acres throughout the state.
But “projects” doesn’t quite capture what we do. Each project represents hundreds of diverse people and multiple communities coming together to create a new reality for California’s rivers, land, and communities. By uniting around rivers and stacking the benefits—wildlife habitat, flood protection, natural carbon capture, and water supply improvements to name a few—these efforts deliver extraordinary results. They’re also incredibly cost-effective, far more so than single-sector approaches that tackle problems in isolation and require costly engineered solutions that take a lot more time to implement and see results.
This isn’t just theory. Scientists and flood engineers agree the benefits are real. Families who have farmed the Central Valley for generations want to see more restoration because they’ve seen firsthand how it helps their land, communities, and bottom lines. Community members who have gone generations without access to the outdoors and the health benefits of nature feel the difference.
River Partners has proven restoration works at the historic Dos Rios Ranch Preserve, California’s largest public-private floodplain restoration and newest state park located 20 minutes west of Modesto. Dos Rios is the gold standard for statewide restoration projects to come, particularly in the Central Valley, earning it the title of a “Park of the Future” from California Department of Parks and Recreation Director Armando Quintero.
Last year, we launched a Sacramento Valley companion to Dos Rios where we will restore and reconnect 1,600 acres of natural floodplains at the confluence of the Feather River, Sacramento River, and Butte Creek. Known as “Dos Rios Norte,” this project will convert flood-prone farmland back to native habitat, reducing water demand and encouraging flooding to recharge underground aquifers. Following restoration, water rights associated with the property, some of the strongest in California, will be dedicated back to the waterways to benefit imperiled fish and wildlife like Chinook salmon. Planning for the restoration is underway in partnership with the Traditional Ecological Knowledge department of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.
We’re re-imagining not only how we manage water for vulnerable California ecosystems and communities, but what restoration itself means. It isn’t just about repairing riverside landscapes—it’s about building bridges, fostering understanding, and investing in a shared future. We need to “re-plumb” our watershed for a rapidly changing future, and we can do it in ways that heal past wrongs, give communities new life, and safeguard our biodiversity for generations to come.
One of the most humbling aspects of my role as President at River Partners is witnessing the sheer number of hardworking people working every day to create this future. These are people who believe in a more vibrant California, with clean air and water, thriving biodiversity, and connected communities. Water managers, tribal councils, conservationists, local elected officials, career biologists, municipal planners, school teachers, park rangers, river guides, fishermen, birders, engineers, and parents… all aligned in this clear pursuit—a better California for us all.
So, let’s get it done. Let’s not waste our energy in the argument space and instead put our energy in the working space. Let’s continue to work hard and collaborate on a grand vision for our Golden State in 2025 and beyond.
